Wireless Data

Data Cards and Macs

zjc2a said:has anyone used a mac and a data card from anyone? And is there any EDGE data cards?

-Z

Yes, there ARE EDGE data cards, I believe T-Mobile has one, and I'm pretty sure AT&Tingular is rolling one out.

The VZW cards CAN be used with PowerBooks & the like, but be aware that the drivers & software are from 3rd parties, and VZW will NOT provide tech support in that case. I think there's a thread on Howard Forums on this subject.

Would it be better to get a data card or use my phone for internet tethered to my computer or through Bluetooth? How does the provider know what to charge me for, I know cingular has data plans which work with data cards but won't the phone internet plans work if they are hooked up to my computer? Any have much experince with these things? How fast are they exactly, data cards or tethered phone?

zjc2a said:has anyone used a mac and a data card from anyone? And is there any EDGE data cards?

-Z

Yes, there ARE EDGE data cards, I believe T-Mobile has one, and I'm pretty sure AT&Tingular is rolling one out.

The VZW cards CAN be used with PowerBooks & the like, but be aware that the drivers & software are from 3rd parties, and VZW will NOT provide tech support in that case. I think there's a thread on Howard Forums on this subject.

T-mobile is not rolling out EDGE for two years...But does Verizon give discounts if you have voice and a data plan with them? And how fast, on average is your data speed?

VZW doesn't give that sort of a discount, but I have personally experienced 60-80 Kbps throughput on 1XRTT, and over 300Kbps with EVDO. Plenty fast for what I use it for. I have a corporate discount, but that's something else altogether. You can get similar speeds using a tethered 1X phone, like a Motorola V60S (my backup) and Motorola Phone Tools. When the EVDO phones finally come out, you should be able to get EVDO speeds, or close to it, from a tethered solution.

Rich, with the current GPRS speeds that we see on the T-Zones phones and T-Mobile Internet network, will we see the webpages pop right up in the blink of an eye (like if we are using a cable modem or DSL on a computer compared to Dial-Up)on the new EDGE phones that T-Mobile will be offering or will it be on the Modem feature if you use your phone as a modem. How will we know when we are connected to the EDGE network while on a cell phone compared to when we are are on the GPRS network? Will EDGE make the calls clearer, and allow more coverage for data/Voice?